Vaccines and immunization have played a remarkable and important role in protecting more people against vaccine-preventable diseases. Some regional achievements include:

• Eradication of smallpox.

• Increasing vaccination coverage with three doses of diphtheria–tetanus–pertussis (DTP3) to 87% in 2009, up from 18% in 1980.

• Reaching the 90% measles mortality reduction goal three years ahead of schedule and vaccinating more than 200 million people against measles between 1994 and 2009 during large-scale campaigns.

• Maintaining 20 polio-free countries.

• Increasing the number of countries introducing new and under-used vaccines.

• Utilizing national immunization programmes as a platform to provide other life-saving health interventions, such as vitamin A supplements, bednets to prevent malaria and de-worming medicine.

Despite substantial progress in immunizing more children over the past two decades, the Region continues to face major challenges:

• Every day, more than 5,000 infants do not complete their routine immunization schedule.

• An estimated 1.9 million children did not receive DTP3 vaccine in 2009.

• There are still two polio-endemic countries -- Afghanistan and Pakistan.

• Progress made to date in mortality reduction and elimination of measles must be sustained.

• Elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus.

• Misinformation and refusals by pockets of the media and population.

• Stagnant commitment by donors and decision-makers.